James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James I. He was the first monarch to be called King of Great Britain. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July1567 until his death. He ruled in England and Ireland from 24 March1603 until his death. His rule was important because it was the first time England and Scotland agreed to have the same monarch. He was the first monarch of England from the House of Stuart. The last English monarch had been Elizabeth I. She had died without any children, so the English agreed to have a Scottish monarch because James was the closest relative Elizabeth had.

James fought often with Parliament. In addition, he did not use the kingdom’s money well. While James was ruling, the Scottish and English governments were quite stable. After James died, his son Charles tried to rule in the same way as James but caused the English Civil War. At the end of the war in 1649, Charles was executed.